The 10 Best Free Things to do in Lake Garda, Lake Garda

Do you want to know which is the secret ingredient? Only by drinking a glass of this collection, you’ll recognize the secret ingredient. Easy to guess…Love

Lake Garda, unique for its enchanted villages, shopping and fun opportunities,is also the perfect setting for your activity and watersports holidays or week-ends. This is Lake Garda, the Essence of Italy!

The Zeni winery is located on the first hill beside the city center of Bardolino. From 1870 the Zeni Families have been dedicated in to the growing of the local vines and in to the production of the veronese classical wines. This wines are: Bardolino, Custoza, Lugana, Soave and Valpolicella, where inside the classical area the family has one more winery. From 1991 inside the winery in Bardolino is located the Wine Museum, a collection and proof of the local and ancient veronese wine tradition. The Wine Museum and adjacent Vinoteca are free entry for all individual visitors. For groups of 10 or more people the reservation is required. For both individual visitors and groups we required the reservation also for the visit of the entire winery. The Zeni winery is proud to present GO the olfactory gallery, a new eno-sensory tasting, which is the first of its kind in Italy.

The Bastione, a tower of grey stone, located at the foot of Mount Rocchetta, is one the symbols of Riva del Garda, overlooking the city and Lake Garda. It was built in the early XVI century, just after the end of Venetian domination over Riva. It was destroyed in 1703 by the French troops under leadership of general Vendôme, who mined the main body thus rendering it unusable. It’s a few minutes walk from the port of Riva, along a road that winds through the black pinewood of the lower Rocchetta. The path then rises further to the chapel of St. Barbara on the mountainside (610m) and the Rocchetta itself (1520m). The Bastione has recently been restored. Visitors may see the imposing external bodywork and what is left of the inside from a winding staircase. The locations enjoys an excellent view.

The Lombardy Region officially recognised the Nature Reserve of Manerba del Garda ("Della Rocca, del Sasso e Parco Lacuale") with a regional resolution in April 2016. The park covers a territory of approximately 1,160,000 m2 (include meadows, woodland, trails, vineyards and olive groves), as well as 850,000 m2 of the lake itself. The Reserve was established to preserve and promote the ecosystem and landscape, historical and archeological sites, as well as to support such activities as education and understanding, preservation and divulgation of a unique environment, remarkable for both its history and biodiversity. The Valtenesi Archeological Museum within the Reserve is the information centre for visitor who wish to understand why throughout history humans have chosen to settle in this spectacular setting. The Reserve is always open to the public.

The small Chapel to Saint Barbara (m 625 – h 1,45 from Riva del Garda), was built in 1935 by the miners who worked on the conduits of the Ponale power plant. It is placed in a horrid and daring, yet panoramic position, on the slope of Mount Rocchetta near the start of the penstocks feeding the hydroelectrical plant. The Chapel is visible from afar thanks to nighttime lighting.

One follows via Gargnano (Gardesana Occidentale National Road SS 45bis) from the centre of Riva heading towards Limone. On the right before the tunnel, take the old road which once linked Riva del Garda with the Ledro Valley. From there one can enjoy breathtaking panoramas for once in a lifetime photo opportunities.